A fan’s Banksy-style homage to one of East Kilbride’s most iconic bands is thought to have resurfaced with The Jesus and Mary Chain murals appearing across the town.
Seven years after an elusive graffiti artist dubbed ‘the EK Banksy’ painted a striking silhouette of the band’s guitarist William Reid on an underpass, several more have been spotted near to the town centre and their childhood street Angus Avenue where brother Jim and William Reid wrote much of their early material in their parents council house.
In 2019, a huge buzz circulated around the town and across the world on social media over the appearance of an homage to East Kilbride’s very own, The Jesus and Mary Chain.
The fantastic mural depicting William’s classic shoegaze pose was taken from the Just Like Honey video.
And the artwork was daubed on the same Murray Roundabout underpass where the band’s early gigs were flyposted in the 1980s.
The band themselves even gave the artwork their approval by sharing a picture of it on their social media, prompting fellow Scots rock royalty Primal Scream to comment: “Fantastic”.
But days after it was celebrated worldwide, council workers painted over the creative tribute, branding it vandalism.
At the time the East Kilbride News tracked down the artist responsible for the globally celebrated artwork, but he said he wasn’t bitter over the council whitewash, saying it was “fair game” in the street art business.
A massive Mary Chain fan, the graffiti artist, who goes by the moniker Godless, is originally from East Kilbride but lives with his family in Paris where he creates street art.
He created the iconic image with the help of his daughter, making a stencil that he’d worked on for over a year.
A fan of street art for its “punk rock ethos”, he said he wanted to make an indelible mark to remind the people of East Kilbride that they live in a place with a “really cool musical heritage”.
And despite the furore around the council’s decision to remove his artwork, he said he was content with his five minutes of fame and was thrilled his fleeting homage struck a chord with Mary Chain fans around the globe.
The 40-something East Kilbridian, told the EK News: “I figured it might not last too long – it’s fair game.
“I guessed South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) had an aggressive anti-graffiti policy when I saw the big grey boxes on the underpass walls where they’d painted over ‘Greenhills Young Team’ and the like.
“I understand not everyone agrees where the line falls between vandalism and street art, and that the council has a zero tolerance approach – on the other hand, I’m not sure big grey boxes are cheering anyone up.”
He added: “It was meant as a homage to EK’s coolest rock ‘n’ roll band and a way of bringing some positive energy to the town. I liked the idea of a street art public tribute that was itself a little underground and spontaneous – I felt it fitted the band and their music.
“I didn’t think it would be very visible, so I was amazed it got spotted so quickly. I was thrilled it resonated with fans and it’s amazing the band shared it. Primal Scream even commented on it.
“I’m a big fan, so I’m flattered.”
At the time, South Lanarkshire Council stated it was council policy to remove or paint over graffiti on public property to discourage further vandalism.
Alistair McKinnon, head of facilities, waste and grounds services said: “We recognise that many people in East Kilbride are very proud that the town can lay claim to the roots of a band as ground-breaking as The Jesus and Mary Chain and would suggest the artist might want to identify a legitimate location to recreate their tribute with the property owners consent.”
The local authority were contacted for comment on the town’s latest street art showcasing the band.